Title: Lingering
Pairing: Ling/Ed
Rated: R
Comments: Written for theme #2: News; Letter at 30_kisses

—

Edward Elric was sitting at his desk, pencil scratching away at the latest report the Fuhrer had given him, when the letter arrived. He gestured for the receptionist to place the letter on his desk, but didn’t bother looking up. Mustang had ‘requested’ the report be on his desk by lunch.

He couldn’t complain, however. He had asked for the heaviest workload the Fuhrer could produce. It had become an exhausting routine. He worked through the day until fatigue forced him to leave his office (Mustang’s former office-Ed didn’t appreciate the irony) and he collapsed into bed, gratefully unconscious the instant his head hit the pillow. The days would pass in endless stacks of papers and seals until another whisper of the philosopher’s stone reached his ears and he and Al would pack up and take off for another journey, hearts heavy with the disappointment they’d met thus far, but never giving up hope.

Edward had made a promise. His hand clenched around his pencil. The abrupt crack! of the thin wood snapping in his hand startled him out of his reverie.

“Damn it,” he muttered, pulling open a drawer and rifling through its contents for another pencil. He felt a light breeze brush the back of his neck and glanced at the open window behind him. The sun was shining, the perfect day to be outdoors. He sighed and thought, with no little amount of disgust, if it was this nice a day in Xing.

“You didn’t read my letter.”

Ed whipped around in his chair, hands already clapping together. Lounging across the couch, legs draped over the cream cushions, was Ling. Ed gaped. “You!”

Ling pouted and blinked at him. “You’re not happy to see me?”

“Why aren’t you in Xing? Ruling it?” Ed asked, swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat. He finally located a new pencil and would have continued writing his report except now his hands were shaking so violently that he almost dropped it.

Ling was much the same as he’d remembered. Dark hair tied back at the nape of his neck, dark brown eyes regarding him with mischief and intelligence. He was clothed in much finer garments than when they’d initially met, but that was to be expected.

Ling gestured to the corner of Ed’s desk, where the letter sat untouched. Glaring at the emperor warily, Ed reached out to pick it up. The Xingian Royal crest stared up at him from the back of the letter. He glanced at Ling, who was smiling at him encouragingly, before opening the letter and quickly scanning the contents. It was an announcement of Ling’s arrival.

Followed by a half page of script written by Ling himself detailing all the things he planned to do to Edward the moment he arrived in Amestris. Ed turned a bright shade of red and tossed the letter angrily aside. Ling was grinning cheerfully at him, hands stacked behind his head.

“That letter just arrived,” Ed said, deciding not to address the other half of its contents just yet. He wasn’t even sure if he even wanted…okay, he knew he wanted it, but he wasn’t sure it’d be such a good idea. Why did Ling always have to make it so hard?

“I know,” Ling said, crossing his ankles. “I sent it right when I got to Central.”

“You’re supposed to send a letter to the Fuhrer and you’re supposed to send it before you leave Xing.” Ed did not like being surprised in such a fashion. His heart was racing, his hands trembled, he wanted to cross the distance and throw himself on top of Ling…at the same time he wanted to grab the emperor by his fine coat and toss him out the door.

“I did,” Ling said simply. “Fuhrer Mustang has been aware of my intent to visit for a month now.”

Ed’s eye twitched. He had, had he? For a month now, hm? Ed was going to kill him. He pushed from his seat and rounded his desk, intent on going straight to Mustang and giving him an earful for keeping the information from him. He was brought up short when Ling jumped from his spot on the couch and blocked his path.

“You can take it up with him later,” Ling said, closing in on Ed. Ed stepped back, his thoughts still divided even as his body made its clear choice by jumping to attention at the look in Ling’s eyes.

“Ling, wait. This isn’t…I’m not sure…” Ed’s lower back bumped into his desk and Ling smiled, leaning forward to brace his hands on the edge, trapping the blond. “Wait!” he shouted when Ling narrowed in for a kiss.

Ling sighed and pulled back a bit. “What?”

“I did not say that…this,” Ed said, glancing frantically at the position they were in, “was okay.”

Ling gave him an incredulous look. “Why wouldn’t it be?” His eyelids drooped and he gave Ed a sensual, half-lidded glance from behind his lashes, smiling provocatively. “Don’t you remember that I took you right here on this desk before I left last year?”

Edward’s nostrils flared and his gold eyes snapped. Not the reaction Ling was looking for. “Yeah, you bastard! Last year! I’ve gotten one letter from you since then and it’s going straight to the garbage once you leave. What makes you think you can just come back and-and…expect me to want this!?”

To his credit, Ling looked contrite. More than contrite. He looked downright guilty. “I’ve been very busy, Edward. Ruling a kingdom is not an easy task.”

“You should have stayed in Xing,” Ed said, turning his head and staring sourly at a coffee stain in the carpet that had been left by Breda last week.

Ling didn’t reply for so long that Ed had to lift his gaze to see if the emperor was even paying attention. He was. Ling was watching him with a look in his eyes that Ed hadn’t seen in a year and it pulled at strings in his chest he thought he’d long since severed. He swallowed.

“Do you still want this, Edward?” he asked softly. He didn’t move at all, simply continued to watch Ed with those intense eyes, the strength of his emotion bared there for only Ed to see.

“No,” Ed said quietly. He closed his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Could I perhaps persuade you on the matter?” Ling asked, a hint of his playful smile returning.

Ed opened his eyes and gave him an irritated look. “I need to think. Just…leave me alone for a bit.”

Ling looked very much like he wanted to refuse. He was probably used to getting his way by now, but Ed didn’t particularly care. This wasn’t Xing and Ling was going to damn well leave him alone.

“All right. I will pick you up for lunch then. You have an hour. In the meantime, I suppose I should present myself to the Fuhrer.” He gave Ed a brief, hopeful smile before turning away and striding towards the door. For the brief span of time the door was open, Ed could see a small group of dark-haired Xingians milling about in the hall looking uncomfortable-presumably the emperor’s entourage.

Ed sighed and slumped to the floor, unable to even cross the short distance to the couch. Ling was back. In Amestris. In reach.

“Shiiiiiit,” Ed moaned, covering his face with his hands. Life was so much simpler without Ling constantly poking his head into his business. Okay, life wasn’t simple at all, but at least that aggravatingly distracting presence had been absent.

Ling was supposed to stay in Xing, someone he occasionally thought about on exceptionally sleepless nights, a distant figure, a tragic-turned-happy memory…he wasn’t supposed to come back and scatter every careful grain of emotion Ed had piled behind his immense pride and sense of duty. Ed could only imagine the divided memories Amestris held for Ling… darkness and blood and Greed… need, frenzied fucking and whispered words.

Ed suppressed a shudder at the recollection. He thumped his head against the hollow wood at his back. Yes, he did remember how Ling had fucked him over this very desk a year ago, Lanfan waiting impatiently in the hall. He’d wrapped his legs around Ling’s waist and clung to those broad shoulders as he’d been pounded with all the desperation and want and unspoken things that they’d both been unable to say-both having too much at stake, too many obligations, too much, too much…

He pulled himself to his feet and dusted his state-issued military jacket off harshly, disgusted with himself. He had paperwork to do.

***

An hour later, he was still staring down at the three words he’d written since climbing back into his chair when there was a knock at his door. He didn’t respond but the door swung open anyway. Ling leaned against the doorframe.

“Ready for lunch?” Ling asked, grinning broadly. Behind him, the hall was empty. He must have herded off his retinue to their rooms.

Edward sighed. An hour was really more than enough time to think. He pushed from his chair and the look on his face must have betrayed him because Ling straightened and his smile faltered. His eyebrows shot to his hairline when Ed grabbed his arm and tugged him into the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

He pulled Ling across the room and shoved him-hard-down onto the couch. Ling appeared to have caught on and reached out just as Ed did the same, both grabbing for clothing that presented the least challenge for removal. Blue jacket and finely embroidered coat, plain white cotton and smooth cream-colored silk-it was all the same as the clothes fell into a pile on the floor, trampled on and kicked by careless feet.

Ed climbed into Ling’s lap and finally pressed their mouths together. It was open-mouthed, sloppy, over-eager, too much tongue. Neither of them cared.

Ling’s hands fumbled with Ed’s hair, pulling off the tie at the end of his braid and running his fingers through the creased locks. He toed off his left shoe, the last of his adornments, and thrust upward, mouth slanting hungrily over Ed’s. They panted into each other’s mouths, breathing in the warmth, the thinned air.

“Did you bring…?” Ed managed as he reached between them and wrapped his hand around Ling’s cock, stroking firmly. Ling hissed and arched into his hand before nodding and gesturing at the pile of clothing. Ed leaned away, exposing the long curve of his side and buttocks to Ling’s eager hands and mouth.

He bit his lip as he groped through the clothing until he found a lump in Ling’s inner coat pocket the size of a small bottle. Ling’s fingers were teasing the crease of his buttocks, his mouth sucking at the hollow of his hip. He gave an annoyed huff as he finally pulled it free.

“You carry travel-sized lube with you everywhere you go?” he asked breathily, uncapping it and pouring some on his fingers.

“I thought I’d bring it just in case,” Ling said before leaning forward and sucking harshly at Ed’s lower lip. Ed coated the full length of Ling’s cock, squeezing when he reached the head and eliciting an appreciative groan from Ling.

He didn’t want to know about whom else Ling had done this with. It wasn’t important now. Besides, if he knew their names, he might be tempted to hunt them down and demonstrate his advanced alchemy. He poured more onto his fingers before recapping it and tossing it back onto the clothes pile. Using Ling’s shoulder for leverage, he reached back and pushed a finger into himself.

Ling’s fingers dug into the corded muscles in his thighs, his mouth busy licking stripes down his chest and leaving bright red bite marks across his skin. Ed moaned softly, pushing another finger in and stretching himself briefly before withdrawing the digits. He wanted to be tight. He grasped Ling’s cock and rose up on his knees.

Both men groaned out loud as Ed sank onto Ling’s erection. Ed arched his back, hands trembling as he grabbed handfuls of Ling’s hair. Ling leaned forward and pulled their faces together, kissing him desperately even as Ed rose and slammed down again. His hips moved, working into a frantic rhythm, Ling filling him, stretching him, completing him.

“Ling.” Later, he would be embarrassed at how he had whimpered the name as his fingers dug into Ling’s neck, mouth and tongue devouring the man beneath him, inside him. “Oh God, Ling.” His pace became erratic, his thighs burning as he rose and ground downward, loving the thick slide of Ling’s cock.

His breath caught on a sob as he came. His entire body shuddered, back bowed, Ling’s arms wrapped around him.

He stilled as the last tremors left him although the tension still thrummed in his shoulders, Ling’s hard unspent cock still buried in his ass. He took a deep breath before tentatively raising his gaze to look at Ling. If Ling was laughing at him, he’d kick the man out, naked and still erect, Emperor of Xing be damned.

Ling was watching him with something akin to awe. Ed’s body was already flushed from his exertions, but he could practically feel his ears burning as Ling closed the few inches between their lips and kissed him again. It was a slow, languid kiss. Searching, exploratory. His body melted into Ling’s. He let the man cradle his head as they turned, Ling pressing Ed into the length of the sofa.

He closed his eyes, brows narrowing just a fraction as Ling pulled out of him and thrust back in to the hilt. The earlier craze of hormones and need was temporarily assuaged. Ling took his time finishing, Ed’s limbs wrapped around him, his cock semi-hard again.

“Edward,” Ling said afterward. He pulled back just enough to look the blond in the eyes.

“If you say anything about Xing or when you’re leaving, I’m going to kill you.”

Ling smiled and shook his head. “No. I was going to say…I missed you.”

Ed frowned a bit, looking curiously uncomfortably at hearing what he had already known voiced aloud.

“That’s why I came,” Ling said. Ed gave him a puzzled look. “I came because I missed you.”

A blond eyebrow arched skeptically. “You’re not here for political reasons?”

Ling shook his head and leaned forward to kiss him but Ed turned his face away. “Wait a minute. It took you a year to miss me enough to come?”

Ling’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. “And did you, at any point in the past twelve months, consider going to Xing to see me?”

Ed’s lips flattened. “Forget it; neither of us is going to win this argument.”

“We’re not arguing.”

“Well, we will be if you don’t shut up right now.”

“What will we do then?”

“This is as good as anything.”

“Fuhrer Mustang is expecting me for a diplomatic meeting in a bit.”

“Mustang can screw himself.”

Ling laughed and buried his face in Ed’s neck. Ed sighed, running his hand through Ling’s hair. The ribbon had long since fallen away. He didn’t want to know when Ling was leaving again but he would have to find out eventually. Until then…he’d just have to convince the Fuhrer to give him his vacation time early.

The end.